Doctor Who and the Tempergron
by Revfew
Summary: The Doctor finds himself embroiled in a plot to steal the Tempergron, an ancient device said to resurrect the dead. However, it soon transpires that he's in over his head, and must rely on the ongoing past to progress forward...
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: It's gonna be really obvious that I can't write coherently, and that characters seem OOC, and my grammar is terrible. Anyway, enjoy.**

Maxine Vaughn had a new flat-mate. A decision she didn't even remember thinking of.

Said flat-mate was tall, thin and creepy as hell. He had dreadlocks that looked as if someone had threaded spaghetti through a head, with a rough, grimy beard that stretched down past his chin. His name was "Mendos" or something like that. She didn't know. He'd only said two, three words to her since he arrived. Thankfully. He smelled like someone had taken a strenuous and lengthy swim in a pool of rubbish.

She was born, bred and trapped in London. All 26 years of her life. Just like her mother. She'd never got on with her father. He was a plumber, back in the old days.

She sipped her mug of warm, rich tea and sighed at misty dreams of far-off lands. She would definitely try to escape the cityscape, one day or another. She'd make a name for herself.

There was a "rata-tat-tat" at the door, catching Maxine off guard. She straightened out her scarf and fixed her black hair before shuffling to the door and wrenching it open. There was a smart-but-childish looking man dressed in tweed and black slacks. He fixed a red bowtie around his neck and gave a warm-yet slightly smug grin.

"Hello!"

"Erm...hello?"

He skipped inside merrily, looking around as if expecting someone.

"I'm the Doctor, by the way. Here on behalf of Chaplet-Waterfield insurance."

"I don't need insurance."

He looked at her.

"Are you hiding a reptilian alien who needs a special gas to survive by any chance?"

"...no..."

"Just checking."

He sniffed the table before removing some kind of object from his jacket pocket. He waved it about, which caused it to emit a weird, sickening buzz.

"So...what's your name?"

"Maxine. Maxine Vaughn."

"And do you do anything interesting at all?"

"No, but I want to. I'm going to travel the world, as soon as I can escape this city hell!"

"Hmm."

"Sorry, don't mean to be rude or anything, but what's your name again?"

"The Doctor."

"Doctor who?"

"You really don't need an answer to that question."

He tossed anything he could behind his shoulder, humming a sweet tune to himself.

"What the hell are you doing?! Or at least place stuff, instead of tossing!"

"Looking for something. Have you got any marbles?"

"I'm su-"

"Never mind, I should have some in these pockets of mine!"

He threw a leather wallet, a recorder, a fob watch, a tattered white bag that scattered hard jelly babies across the panelled floor, and a book entitled "900 year diary".

"How do you have so much in those pockets?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Not really, I mean logically they'd have to be bigger inside than out."

"Well, there you go. Ah ha!"

He produced a fishnet-style bag of marbles and poured them absent mindlessly across the floor. The marbles suddenly collided into a mid-air ball, catching her by surprise. The ball "shwuuumped" to the door before shattering again.

"And what exactly is that going to prove?"

"Marbles are attracted to Soliton gas. That...that was the compass pointing to North."

"How are marbles attracted to gas? Hang on, did you say 'reptilian alien'?"

"To answer both, I don't know."

Just then the door clunked open and the new flatmate walked in. He grunted, and took two steps to the left before the Doctor grabbed his sleeve.

"I can see through a disguise a mile away. Little trick J Edgar taught me."

He tugged at the dreadlocks, well slipped off rather easily. Next came the beard.

"Oh you little bas-"

The Doctor put his hand over Maxine's mouth to muffle her furious cries.

"What's the point in wearing a disguise?"

"Mmmmf mmmmuhu mmf!"

He took his hand away. Maxine repeated herself.

"Because he's my ex boyfriend!"

The flatmate sighed and turned his head slightly. His auburn hair shone and his slightly heavy eyebrows crinkled in perpetual humiliation.

"Oh...relationship trouble...well I...I best be off...Terileptil won't make peace with itself...well it might if it got bored...or wh...I'll just be going..."

"Oh no no no!"

She grabbed his collar and dragged him back inside.

"You, sit down, now!" she turned to her ex.

"As for _you_!"

"L-Listen! I just..I need to talk to you."

She was quiet for a few seconds. Then she laughed.

"I have nothing, _nothing_, to talk to you abo-"

"Lilly's dead."

Maxine froze, her eyes showing the severity of the news. She almost fell in unexpected anguish, taking in an abundant slug of air.

"I'm sorry." The Doctor butted in, looking slightly disappointed.

"How did it happen?" she wheezed.

"Stran...strangulation. The people down the station said it was like someone crushed her neck with a vice."

The Doctor had an unfortunate moment of crystal clear realisation. He frowned in fury, gritting his teeth.

"It's going after people. _Innocent _people. But why..." he whispered.

"Sorry?"

He looked at the ex.

"What's your name?"

"Zane."

"Zane, I'm about to find the thing that killed your friend. Then I'm going to give it a piece of my mind. And finally, when this day is done, I'm going to-"

"Oh please. What can _you _do?! You came in here, babbling about aliens and J Edgar Hoover, as if you knew such things. You don't know anything! Nothing about us, about what happens in _our _lives!"

He looked at her in pure confidence.

"I can tell your lying. It's in your eyes. You say you want to get out of here when in fact...in fact you're too scared to open up to anyone. That's why you dumped him. You think that if you let anyone into your little world, they'll run, as fast as possible, and leave you in silence. The silence that eats you up inside, that makes you feel like you've failed everyone you know."

There was a two second silence.

"Look who's talking."

There was an interrupting clatter from downstairs.

"I think we've found our Terileptil."

They scurried, without a sound, out to the stairs.

"Doctor?"

"Yeah."

"What _is _a Terileptil?"

"An ancient alien race who adore beauty, art and war. But even with their overly abundant love of warfare, they're still terrified of the universe."

"So you think it might have...killed Lilly?"

"No, it wouldn't even have the strength to give a proper hug, let alone kill someone. Sometimes, but only the odd time, they'll use androids. But there's no way that could go unnoticed, unless-"

The Doctor stopped mid-sentence and ran forward, shoulder put in front like a battering ram. He missed the door he was aiming for and hit the wall beside it. Maxine helped him up before doing the job he set out to do.

"I meant to do that." he laughed, suppressing a groan.

Inside was like any normal flat, save for the large egg-shaped module on a coffee table.

"Looks like nobody's home." Zane whispered.

"If you thought that, you wouldn't be whispering." The Doctor replied, tip-toeing softly towards the coffee table. He removed the strange object again from his jacket pocket and pressed it against the 'egg'. It clicked open into four curved segments and released a wisp of greyish-white gas.

"Don't worry, it's not dangerous. Well, as long as you don't feel the need to light up a celebratory cigar." He said to Maxine and Zane, who lowered their hands from their mouths.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

They all spun around in unison, to see a rotund, hairy man in a filthy vest. He scratched his jaw in unkempt confusion and/or fury. It was hard to tell from his almost-emotionless eyes, which were either squinting or miniscule.

"Sorry, we're just going around. There's a sort of criminal...guy...thing hiding on the complex. Called Ba...Brad...Guy..." Maxine blurted, nudging The Doctor in the ribs. He ignored her.

"Article 246 of the Shadow Proclamation."

"I'm sorry?"

"All humanoids, both of Sol 3 descent or extraterrestrial, must prohibit the use of perception filters. Relatively new. Or at least in twenty years time. Maybe thirty. Or forty, I dunno. I do, however, know a cheap trick when I see one."

"Again, I'm sorry?"

"Gonna go personal here, one of my rules. Number...let's make it 65: The Doctor is not an idiot and so should not be treated like one. Come on, show yourself. It's okay if you have body issues, we're not all perfect."

The man sighed.

"Can't you just leave me be? The boss only wanted a surveillance of the area. He never said anything about people. Besides, I look like crap!"

The Doctor rolled his eyes and used the object again, causing the man to turn into a hunch-backed, fish-like humanoid.

"How did you?!"

"Sonic screwdriver. One of my favourite friends. Now, you mentioned surveillance."

The alien shuffled over to the coffee table and activated the egg, breathing in the vapours. The others took the chairs around the tables and made themselves comfortable.

"Now, Mr Terileptil. I can call you Mr Terileptil? Or Terry? Terry the Terileptil. I like that!"

"My proper name is Frezzedonious, but fine, Terry it is."

"Why are you here?"

"Like I told 'ou, surveillance for the boss."

"And who might this 'boss' be? Another Terileptil? Homicidal computer? As if I don't run into enough of them."

Terry fidgeted, a bit pusillanimously. He 'hemmed' and 'hawed', before giving in.

"In all honesty, I only know him in name. I never met him in person, but I know he's located somewhere near Lokœ. His name's..."

He stopped, his eyes furrowing into a maze of inescapable confusion.

"What's wrong?"

Terry blinked in a rapid-fire pattern.

"I...don't know...know his name...who are you?"

"John Smith. Doctor John Smith."

"What are you doing here, Razmoz?"

"Doctor, what's wrong with him?" Maxine whispered.

"I don't know... Frezzedonius, where are we?"

Terry was quiet. He closed his eyes and compressed his jaw.

"What is he doing?"

"Forced hibernation. Someone's got this place bugged, which would be extremely cool if it weren't for the fact that our lives are now in really deep trouble. Really, really deep trouble."

"What do we do now?"

"This is going to sound odd, but I'm talking about it right now, forty odd years away. Until I figure it out, let's go do something fun!"


	2. Chapter 2

The Doctor hummed an old earth ballad to the empty console room, setting course for the colony Gerh, where everyone was a cliché. Peri was taking a break from travelling, the result of a botany convention. Without her there was no bickering, no uneasiness, no fun at all.

He heard a shattering clatter from the corridors adjacent to him. Curiosity snagged him like brilliant anglers snagged Gumblejacks, causing him to walk to the door behind him.

"Anyone there?! If so please remove yourself from _my _TARDIS!"

But there was no reply, not even the sigh of a mouse. Confused, he went back to the console room and was met with another.

She was tall and had black hair, and looked extremely nervous.

"Who in blazes are you?! And how did you get on my ship?! I must have left the matter transporter on...again."

"Wow, you're..._different _back then...now...whenever this is."

"Was it you who made that clatter?"

"Yeah."

"But you're not in the corridor now, are you?"

"There is a thing called running both really fast and really quietly, y'know."

He gave a frustrated furrow of the brow, straightening out his multicoloured coat.

"Go on then, I know you're probably itching to say it."

"What?"

"'Oh, it's bigger on the inside, how can that be? It must be mirrors?' etc etc."

"I already said that...look, it doesn't matter."

"Then what does matter?"

"That you get as close as possible to Lokœ. I think he said Bocol...or Bodol...or Bofol. I dunno."

"The planetary state of Bohol based around the community of Lokœ?"

"Yeah, that's the one!"

"Well I can't. Doesn't exist. Now can I please be alone?"

"Wow, you're charming..."

"I know, it's one of my many magnificent qualities. Now pop along!"

"Wait! It does exist. You've been there."

"How do you know? We've only just met."

"Sorry...new to this time travel thing. Just, please, go to Lokœ! Oh, and um, ask for a Razmoz!"

"Hang on, w..."

She vanished before he could finish the sentence.

"Better set course for Lokœ then..."

**Present Day **

"...and that's all I've got."

"And you're sure I was there?"

The Doctor nodded, gulping and straightening his bowtie.

"Well, what do we do now?" asked Zane, sounding eager.

"I haven't thought about that yet."

"There's one thing that hasn't been explained."

"Story of my life. Continue."

"What killed Lilly?"

"Good question, let's go find out!"

He hopped through the open door and sprinted down the stairs, Maxine and Zane following him desperately. He stood outside, sniffing the air with greatest interest. He turned to them.

"Stick out your tongues!"

They looked bemused, while he flopped out his tongue and gestured to them to copy.

"Wha id da poi o di?"

The Doctor pulled it back inside his mouth.

"Can't you taste it?"

"Tate wha?'

"Put your tongues back in! But make sure you can taste _it _first!"

"Taste what Doctor?!"

"Isn't it obvious? The Time Discharge! The strong smell of burnt glass?"

They shrugged.

"Something's travelled from the future, in the last few hours. Or maybe travelled to it. There's only one way of finding out!"

He removed the sonic from his jacket and held it upright, pushing an otherwise invisible slider upwards slowly. There was a crackle of light, and a creature came into being. It was see-through and smooth, the insides filled with intricate, constantly-moving cogs and gears.

"Oh dear." The Doctor said, backing away from the Clockwork droid.

**Bohol **

"Well what do you know? It is real!"

The Doctor stepped outside, the bitterness of the sharp air cutting through his well-being. Hoverunits zoomed overhead like futuristic, fast clouds.

In front of him sprawled a bronze cityscape, slightly chapped by the overwhelming weather. He walked towards the magnificent site, coming across the odd bit of graffiti now and again.

Overhead was a sign reading **"Lokœ"**. Beyond this was a colossus of a tower, which curved upwards into arrows at each corner. At its peak was a glittering sign, reading **"Razmoz Incorporated"**.

"Well, I seem to have found the elusive Razmoz!" he sighed, walking towards the beacon of interest.

**Present Day **

"Whoah!"

Maxine twisted her head sideways to get a look at the Doctor.

"What's wrong? Besides the robot who's about to kill us?!"

"Another memory spike! I'll fill you in later!"

He pointed the sonic at the droid, but nothing happened.

"No! No! No! Not now!"

"What's wrong with it?!"

"It's out of power!"

The droid kept on advancing, closer and closer. There was a bang, and it stopped abruptly. Zane lowered the gun, trembling in unexpected fear.

"No more guns!" the Doctor warned, almost running towards the back of the flat-block. They followed him, turning onto the narrow alley. At the midway point was a blue police box, with a circular sticker on the door. The Doctor opened the door and ran inside.

"What's he doing? Getting the police?"

"How should I know?!" she said, going towards the box. She knew enough to know that this wasn't _just _a box. She pushed the door open, and let out an amazed gasp.

Inside was a magnificent, huge room. There was a mass of machinery at the end of a short stairway, where the Doctor was currently situated, messing about with a console-cum-pillar.

"Oh, you're here. Great. Well, this is the TARDIS. I know, bigger on the inside, etc. It's really not that impressive."

"How does...never mind, I've been asking that all day, no point in wasting my time."

"Isn't there another important question you want to ask? Like, 'how do you own this?', or 'do you have any lemonade?', which I do by the way."

Zane blustered in.

"...what..."

"The TARDIS. Time And Relative Dimension In Space. I used to travel with someone who claimed they made that up. She was my...grand...daughter..."

There was a twinge of distant, echoing regret in his eyes.

"Doctor, you're not human, are you?"

"Nope. I'm a Time Lord. The defacto last of. Not that there haven't been contenders for that title. Anyway, welcome aboard! We've got a very important job to before anything else. Who can guess what it is?"

"We have to tell you about us doing stuff with you, in the past?"

"Bingo! Well, sort of. I have to pinpoint the exact location of me, then figure out why it was me in the first place. I also have to figure out why whoever this Razmoz is, is using my old foes, _then _I have to figure out what's there for lunch!"

He ran to the console, instructed Maxine to be "as still as a watched Weeping Angel", gave her a briefing on what to say, and flicked a lightswitch-sized switch, causing her to fade away. Five minutes later he flicked it again, and she re-appeared.

"Right, so," he grinned, waltzing around the console with childish enthusiasm, "what shall we do first? Find Razmoz, or find the person behind Razmoz?"

"What do you-"

"He's had another spike. Haven't you?" Maxine cut across Zane.

"I haven't said this in a while, but...oh yes!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Lokœ**

"Listen, I need to, no, have to speak to Razmoz! Now!"

"I'm sorry, but Mr Destrhue isn't really available right now! Please try again in two, three days time."

"Listen, what if I told you there was a vitrox bomb in his office?"

"Oh my god!"

"Well, naturally there isn't. But the principle remains quite unchanged; you must allow me to meet Razmoz now! You wouldn't want a Time Lord's wrath, now would you?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have-URK!"

He jabbed two fingers into her neck, rendering her unconscious, proceeding to hop over the desk and open her laptop. Seeing what floor Razmoz's office was on, he ran to the stairwell, taking his time so to not be noticed.

He reached the sixth floor and crouched, moving slowly towards the door at the end of the corridor. There was a distinctive smell of burnt glass, an obvious side-effect of a Time Discharge. He burst in and discovered a body, face down on the ground, blood collecting in a crimson pool around him.

This was Razmoz, alright. Someone had gotten here first. He checked the desk, finding a document marked **For Vice President Razmoz, to be delivered to the Upper Board. Documentation for hiring. **Opening it he found pictures of a cracked, spiralling pillar, with a dirty red stone at the midway point.

"The Tempergron...but what could you possibly need that for?..."

Just then, the receptionist and two armed guards waltzed in. He looked out the window, seeing a tall, bronzed flagpole.

"I'm dreadfully sorry but I can't stay any longer!"

He grabbed the chair behind the desk and used it to shatter the window, before taking a running jump. He slid down the pole, his hands burning with the friction, and bolted to the entrance to Lokœ, almost breaking the TARDIS doors.

**Present Day**

"So, Razmoz dies. And he's got a folder of pictures, all of the Tempergron!"

"What's that when it's at home?"

"It's a worthless pile of rock that people think can resurrect the dead. It's rubbish, not worth thinking about. Unless...unless there's a reason to think about it."

He messed with the console.

"We're not doing what I think we're doing, are we?"

"Depends on what you think we're thinking of doing."

"We're going to go off somewhere, get to the bottom of all this, risk our lives, and possibly fight an impossibly strong evil thing that could probably kill us with one touch or look?"

"Doesn't that sound exciting to you?"

"Incredibly exciting. But we only just met you Doctor!"

"I know, and if it was up to me Maxine you'd be at home drinking tea and doing boring, non-timey wimey stuff. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Well, maybe there is on some other world, I don't-"

"Could you two stop rambling on and tell me what's going to happen?"

Zane patted them on their backs, breathing in heavily.

"Um, we're going to do some space stuff and maybe some time stuff because of this Tempergron thing."

"Okay..."

"If I could inject some advice into this conversation...it will be dangerous. And possibly timey wimey. I digress...we're going on a journey, through time and space. We'll be wanderers, in the Fourth Dimension. We'll see so many impossible things...if you want, I can get you back in time for tea. And fudge, maybe some jam...anyway, we're going to see a man about a dog!"

**Borellvill Convention Centre and Recreation Park **

Peri Brown was strolling outside with her new friend when the sound came. When he came.

"Oh jeez, not him!" she moaned, as the TARDIS door opened and a small, slightly fat man wearing a garish coat emerged. He spotted her and gave an obviously faked smile.

"Ah there you are Peri. Wait until you hear what I've been through."

"Um, Doctor, can't you see I'm a little bit busy?"

She gestured to the man next to her, who was bald and nervous.

"Well aren't you going to introduce me to this fellow?"

"This is Paul. Paul, this is the Doctor. Now, can you go? The convention's not over for another two days!"

"Well, would you rather I leave you here, for good, or collect you from this plant seminar?"

She growled, begrudgingly getting up and saying goodbye to Paul.

"What's so important?"

"That's what we're going to find out! Do try to have a little patience, won't you?"

**Present Day, Space Station Petroxxis Alpha**

"Where are we?"

The trio were outside the TARDIS in a small, silver work shop. The Doctor did a little twirl, grinning.

"The best work shop in the Galaxy. Welllll...second best, after the TARDIS' one. But that's out of tools and people who are good with DIY."

"But why are we here?"

"I left a couple of things behind, thousands of years ago. I've come back for one of them. Do try to..."

He trailed off as a gruff, broad-shouldered man stomped inside.

"Hello! I'm the Doctor, this is Maxine, and he's Zane. We've come for item 44563·GG7."

The man nodded and left the room, returning a few seconds later with a large box.

"Item must be taken with other item. Rules."

The Doctor ran back into the TARDIS, like a small child.

"What's in the box?"

He removed the lid and lifted out a blue, moderately large shape.

"Good as new! But that's not what we're here for."

He removed another object, this one a bronze, circular rod with a clear crystal.

"M...mmmmm...masssss...massterrr..."

"Ignore K9, he's just booting up. Now, what do we do next? Good question with a good answer. Well, we go to the scene of the crime. Give or take a couple thousand years."

**Bokshollah **

His eyes burst open, as his brain struggled to figure out what had happened. He'd been plucked from the station, like the feathers of a goose.

The door of his cell creaked open and a short man was thrust inside. He had blonde hair and a multicoloured coat, a brooch in the shape of a cat on his lapel.

"I demand to be released!" he yelled, but to no avail.

"I tried that, once. Doesn't work, believe me."

The stranger turned his head.

"How long have you been here?"

"Since yesterday, I think."

"But you're not sure?"

"Not really."

The stranger nodded, strolling thoughtfully around the enclosed cell.

"How often do the jailers visit?"

"From what I can ascertain, every hour. Listen, why are you here?"

"Oh does it matter? I've been framed, that's all. Or at least I think I have. What's your name?"

"Ezekiel."

"I'm the Doctor. You'll have to fill in for Peri. She's been detained elsewhere on this rock. Now, let's plan our escape, shall we?"


	4. Chapter 4

The Doctor stepped over the now dilapidated door, cautiously.

"Well, what happened here?" Maxine whispered.

"No need to whisper, no one's here anymore. Not for at least a thousand years, I'd say."

"So what's the point in coming here? Surely whatever evidence was here is now not here?"

"Who said we were looking for evidence?"

Zane shrugged and started kicking the floor playfully. The carpet ruffled slightly, before clicking.

"What was that?!"

The Doctor lay down on the floor and placed his ear on where the click sounded from. He gestured for Zane to repeat what he'd just done.

"Oh ah ah! Ha! Knew it! Really obvious, bit of a waste really, thinking about it."

"And for those of us who don't speak floor?"

He ignored the question and rustled through every drawer he could see, eventually removing a pair of scissors. He got on his knees and hacked away at the floor revealing, after a prolonged period of time, a metal panel. Adjacent to this was a compact switch.

"Secret compartment...maybe secret room...only one way to find out!"

He grabbed the others close to him and kicked the switch with his foot.

"GERONIMO!"

But the drop was small, so small in fact that their heads were above the hole.

"Well that was a bit rubbish." The Doctor moaned, trying to kneel. He removed a torch from his pocket (Maxine presumed it was a torch. It resembled a tennis ball much more than it did a torch.) and rolled it, revealing a wide, tight chest.

"Told you there was something here."

He removed the lid and lifted out a dossier. He instantly recognised it as the Tempergron folder.

"Come on, let's...go..."

There were two men, holding guns to their heads.

"You will come with us."

**Bokshollah **

"...and that's all we need do?"

"Certainly. All we need on top of that is luck."

A guard entered and was promptly tackled to the ground. The Doctor hurriedly put on his uniform and helmet, looking extremely obvious but hoping no one would notice.

He led Ezekiel out, clutching the firearm as if it were a newborn baby in danger. They followed a cluster of identical guards, through twisting, reflective corridors until they reached a short, tight room.

"Leave them here." echoed a voice.

"Oh, so someone noticed." The Doctor sighed.

"Indeed, I did."

He looked at Ezekiel, who flickered and became a floating ball with a camera inserted, like an eye.

"Oh, so this has all been some clever ploy to imprison me?"

The voice laughed, and an invisible door slid upwards. A man in simple, black robes walked out. He had long, scraggly hair and slightly gnarled fingers, with pitch-black nails.

"I am Ghess, high priest of the Cult of the Guardian and the rightful placer of the Life Gem. Welcome, Time Lord."

"Why am I here? And where's my friend?"

"The girl is safe, returned to her botany convention. You are here for an audience with my Lord."

"And who's that when they're at home?"

"He goes by many names, but you would know him as The Black Guardian."

**Bokshollah, present day **

"So, we're here to meet the Black Guardian then?"

The trio were led down the same reflective corridor.

"Who?"

"The Black Guardian. One of the Guardians of Time, wore a dead bird on his head. Best not to ask. But if these guys are trying to do what I think they're trying to do, nothing is making sense."

"As opposed to things being crystal clear?"

They were shoved inside the small room and left alone.

"So, what's happening?"

"Well, to put it bluntly: these people, the Cult of the Guardian wants to resurrect the Black Guardian. I didn't know he was dead, because it's impossible."

"How?"

"Because he's the embodiment of chaos. He's not a physical, flesh and blood creature. Sure, when he's no longer needed he won't exist, but still!"

"Chaos has always come and gone, Time Lord."

"I guess you're Ghess?"

"Correct, Doctor."

"But you're at least 1,000 ye- oh. I get it. The Tempergron. It needed a test subject."

"Yes. We shall enter the chamber. There you shall witness our master's resurrection, and your beautiful destruction.

Maxine tapped him on the shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"If this is the same place as the past, surely you know the weak points? How to escape?"

"No. It's been...cut off. We're on our own from now on."

The Chamber was like a warehouse, with a large pillar in the center. There was an amassed crowd, all chanting, all bowing, all dressed the same as Ghess.

"BROTHERS," Ghess shouted, "TODAY WE WITNESS THE RESURRECTION OF THE BLACK GUARDIAN, OUR MASTER AND RIGHTFUL OWNER OF TIME! HE SHALL SMITE HIS GREATEST ENEMY, THE DOCTOR! THE FINAL LORD OF TIME SHALL FALL AT HIS MIGHTY HANDS! AND WE SHALL BE THE BRINGERS OF HIS LONG OVERDUE DESTRUCTION!"

The red gem, removed with considerable force, was hoisted carefully back into its place. The crowd chanted "Black Swaza! Black Swaza!", an ancient translation of "Black Rise! Black Rise!"

"Doctor, what do we do?"

"I wasn't sure, before. I thought I could be wrong, that the seams were just my mind playing tricks. But I know now. Maxine, Zane, we're going to do nothing. Because one of you won't allow anything to happen. One of you have messed too much, created too much dreams and fake things."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you seriously think I'm that stupid? That oblivious? This whole thing has been a long lie. Ever since I got to that apartment, nothing's made sense. And for good reason. You're weak, and possibly a bit thick."

Maxine looked confused.

"I still don't get it."

"Maxine, you never went out with Zane. You never knew a 'Lilly' because she never existed. You couldn't see through an obvious disguise...Your memories have been tampered with, for far too long."

Zane snarled

"Curse you, Time Lord. I cast the shackles of the illusion, and condemn you to death!"

**(NB: I know this chapter REALLY sucked. But at least the story's drawing to a close!)**


	5. Chapter 5

"Huuaaaaacckkkk!"

The Doctor flipped up and smacked his head against a shadowed glass, causing a minor bruise. From what limited hearing he had, he could tell Maxine had done the same.

Said glass slid open in a swift, if not slightly awkward, manner, and a clawed, robotic hand dragged him out. The hand belonged to a tall and wide figure, with greasy dreadlocks and a tremendously nauseating smell. Its face was gritty and wrinkled, with small beady eyes and a crooked, fang-filled grimace. It dragged Maxine out of her pod and threw her on the floor next to the Doctor.

"So, I was right. You're a Bellek!"

The Bellek, formerly known as Zane, snarled and grinned enthusiastically.

"You know of our species, Lord of Time. But do you know of our plots? Our plans? Our unlimited resources?"

"I happen to know that there's no 'our' for a start. I mean, look around! Or better still, turn around and leave those innocent people on that marvellous rock alone."

"I have seen your mind, Doctor. I have seen all the threats, all those 'innocent people' you care about. What about the ones who defied you, who taketh away what little joy you own?"

"A small minority in the whole universe. Know this: I defend humanity. Until my last breath."

Maxine butted in.

"Sorry to break up this flirting session, but what the hell is going on?"

The Bellek let out a loud, deep, hoarse laugh.

"And you defend this ignorance?!"

"The Bellek are parasites. They lock you away and force you to live out a simulated life, then feed off the memories," he turned to the hostile force, "but I don't understand something. Why her? I mean, I'm a veritable treasure trove of memories, if I do say so myself. But why her?"

"The woman was...an unfortunate mistake. We travelled to Earth via on-demand teleport, knowing that you favoured the runts. We tracked you down, hunted you through space like prey.

"To feed off of thousands of years worth of memories. I'd like to see you with the Weeping Angels...actually, scratch that. Never, _ever _forget what I'm about to say!"

"Speak, it will be a waste of valuable breath."

"Maxine...flick them all. Every last one."

"Is that it? Ho! What miraculous waste! Well, I commend you Doctor, for not fighting it. Welcome the master death."

"Only if you do it first."

He winked in the direction of a bank of controls, catching Maxine's eye. She realised what he had meant earlier, and scurried over, hitting every button and pulling every lever she could.

"The thing about the Bellek is that you're not that good at fighting, which in this case is miraculous!"

He grabbed her and they ran, the Bellek chasing them roaring with angry displeasure.

"Uh...um...come on! Think!" the Doctor yelled, resisting the urge to smack himself on the forehead.

"Lemme guess...you have no idea how to work the teleport? How about...teleport two people to Earth!"

Immediately they disappeared, becoming flickers of crystal light. 'Zane' screamed as the flames engulfed him, his life becoming closed.

Maxine, who had cleaned off the dust and soot from her jumper, stood outside the TARDIS with the Doctor.

"So, you're going."

"Yep."

"Well, take care."

She moved a bit.

"Oi, where d'you think you're going?"

The Doctor looked confused at her.

"What do you mean?"

"I owe you _at least _two trips."

"So..."

"Travel with me. For a while, maybe."

"You sure?"

"Certain."

He grinned as she walked past him, inside the ship.

"Well then...Geronimo!"

**The Doctor and Maxine will return later this year...**


End file.
